1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a kit for cable conduits for a piece of workstation furniture having several different profiled sections, which can be plugged together, having essentially flat exteriors and support connecting strips or connecting grooves on the interior.
2. Description of Related Art
A kit of this type is known from German Patent Reference DE 196 10 347 C1. The connecting strips and connecting grooves formed on the interiors are used for fastening cables or built-in elements in the assembled cable conduit. Complex connecting and counter-connecting elements have been formed out of the free longitudinal edges of the profiled sections for connecting the profiled sections with each other. Also, it is only possible to plug together cable conduits of small receiving spaces with the different profiled sections.
It is one object of this invention to provide a kit of the type mentioned above but with cable conduits of different sizes in closed or partial embodiment, wherein only simple connecting elements need to be provided at the profiled sections for connecting the profiled sections.
In accordance with this invention, this object is achieved with a kit having four different profiled sections:
a) tub-shaped profiled sections of U-shaped cross section, wherein the lateral legs end in plug-in strips or plug-in grooves and form plug-in grooves or plug-in strips at the transition areas to the base leg, whose plugging directions are oriented in the plane of the lateral legs;
b) essentially flat partial profiled lateral wall sections having a plug-in groove on the one longitudinal edge and a plug-in strip on the other, and plugging directions oriented in the plane of the partial profiled lateral wall sections;
c) essentially flat profiled wall end sections with a plug-in groove or a plug-in strip on the one longitudinal edge and a hinge receiver on the other, wherein the plugging direction of the plug-in groove or the plug-in strip is oriented in the plane of the profiled wall end section; and
d) essentially flat profiled cover sections with a hinge strip on one longitudinal edge.
The connecting elements designed as plug-in strips and plug-in grooves are simple and provide, with an appropriately selected fitted and/or pressed seating, a sufficient support of the connection of the plugged together cable conduit. The base element in the form of a tub-shaped profiled section fixes the one dimension of the cable conduit, while the other dimension can be increased in steps by means of the partial profiled lateral wall sections. Also, louver-like covering walls can be created by means of the partial profiled lateral wall sections.
For obtaining defined plug-in connections, one embodiment matches the plug-in depth of the plug-in strips of the profiled sections to the depth of the plug-in grooves of the profiled sections, and in the plugged together cable conduit, they are symmetrically arranged in the mutual plug-in planes.
If strips, which form T-shaped connecting grooves, are formed on the interior of the profiled sections, it is possible to fix cables and built-in elements in place in the cable receiving space in the same way as with known cable conduits. The connecting grooves can have different dimensions.
Other connecting elements in a strip shape can also be formed on the interiors of the profiled sections. In one embodiment at least a portion of the connecting grooves of all profiled sections has the same dimensions and receives connecting elements plugged-in at the front. This is advantageous in connection with a horizontally oriented cable conduit, because then the cable conduit can be suspended on vertical columns of the furniture frame.
As a rule, the profiled wall end sections adjoin the lateral legs of the tub-shaped profiled section, or the last partial profiled lateral wall section which is connected with a lateral leg, in order to cover the top of the cable conduit with one or two profiled cover sections. In this case the profiled cover section can extend either over the entire width of the cable conduit, or only over half the width. For achieving a defined locking position of the profiled cover sections, the profiled wall end sections have contact strips, and in the area of the hinge strips, the profiled cover sections have contact strips, which limit and define at least one pivot position of the profiled cover section on the profiled wall end section, preferably the closed position of the cable conduit.